Emery County explores alternatives as mineral lease revenues decline; EMS incentives discussed

Commissioners spent part of the March 17 meeting discussing declines in mineral lease revenues and how the county might protect essential services that have relied on those funds.

Commissioner (voice 3) summarized the problem: mineral lease receipts have fallen for several reasons, and several special service districts that rely on that money face funding shortfalls. The discussion focused on emergency medical services, where many responders are paid volunteers who rely on modest on-call stipends. The commissioner said neighboring counties had raised on-call pay to roughly $5 per hour while Emery County still pays $1 per hour in some cases. He described ideas under consideration including increasing on-call pay, hiring part-time or quarter-time staff, or reallocating other county revenue sources such as PILT or CRA funds.

Commissioners and staff noted trade-offs: PILT arrives later in the year (July/August) and is not a dependable replacement for ongoing operations; using one-time funds could create structural gaps in future years. The discussion was exploratory; the commission did not adopt a policy or motion but directed that options be developed for near-term consideration and possible action this budget year.

Commissioners said they intend to consult district leaders and assess costs and fiscal impacts before any funding reallocations are proposed publicly.